This page is about the military unit. For the article on the youth movement, please see Boy Scouts of the Philippines. The Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), or Kapatirang Scout ng Pilipinas in Filipino, is the National Scout Association for boys and young men of the Philippines. ...

Philippine Scouts at Fort McKinley firing a 37-mm. antitank gun in training

The Philippine Scouts were native Filipinos who served in the US Army's Philippine Department beginning in 1901, through World War II. These troops were generally enlisted and under the command of American officers, however, a handful of Filipinos received commissions from the United States Military Academy. Philippine Scout units are given a suffix of (PS), to distinguish them from other US Army units. Image File history File linksMetadata FortMcKinley. ... Image File history File linksMetadata FortMcKinley. ... Fort William McKinley, during the World War II era, was where USAFFE had its headquarters for the Philippine Department and the Philippine Division. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States armed forces and has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Philippine Department (Philippine Garrison -- The Battling Bastards of Bataan) was a regular US Army unit, defeated in the Philippines, during World War II. The mission of the Philippine Department was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom France Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Charles de Gaulle Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian... In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ... USMA redirects here. ...

The first Scout companies were organized in 1901 to combat insurgents and bandit groups in the Philippine Islands. In 1919-20, the PS companies were grouped into regiments and redesignated the 43d, 45th, and 57th Infantry Regiments, plus the 24th and 25th Field Artillery Regiments, the 26th Cavalry Regiment (PS) and the 91st and 92nd Coast Artillery Regiments. Service and support formations were also organized as engineer, medical, quartermaster and military police units. The infantry and field artillery regiments were grouped together with the U.S. 31st Infantry Regiment to form the U.S. Army’s Philippine Division. At this point, the Scouts became the U.S. Army’s front line troops in the Pacific. 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... The 43d Philippine Scout Infantry Regiment (43d INF (PS)) was part of USAFFEs Philippine Division, during World War II. History of the 43d Infantry Regiment The 43d Infantry Regiment was formed in June of 1917, at Fort Douglas, Utah. ... (Redirected from 24th Field Artillery Regiment) The 24th Philippine Scout Field Artillery Regiment (24th FA (PS)) was part of the US Armys Philippine Division, during World War II. History of the 24th Field Artillery Regiment The 24th FA was organized in 1922 at Philippines, from the 1st Philippine Artillery... The 26th Cavalry Regiment (Philippine Scouts) (26th CAV (PS)) was part of USAFFEs Philippine Department, during World War II. Following the 1941 Japanese invasion, the 26th participated in the Allied withdrawal to the Bataan Peninsula. ... The 31st Infantry Regiment (31st INF) of the United States Army was formed on August 13, 1916, and was part of USAFFEs Philippine Division during World War II. The unit is rare in that it was formed, and spent most of its life, on non-American soil. ... The Philippine Division was the core of the US Armys Philippine Department. ...

The Philippine Department assigned the Scouts to subdue the fierce and warlike Moro tribes on the island of Mindanao, and to establish tranquility throughout the islands. In the 1930s, Philippine Scouts, along with the 31st Infantry Regiment, saw action at Jolo, Palawan. The 31st Infantry Regiment (31st INF) of the United States Army was formed on August 13, 1916, and was part of USAFFEs Philippine Division during World War II. The unit is rare in that it was formed, and spent most of its life, on non-American soil. ... Palawan is an island province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. ...

Philippine Scouts and USAFFE

On July 26, 1941, in preparation for the coming war, President Roosevelt called General Douglas MacArthur back to active duty and put him in charge of a new military organization: The United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). MacArthur took command of all military forces in the Philippines except the U.S. Navy’s Asiatic Fleet. The Philippine Division, Philippine Department and all other Philippine Scout units were included in USAFFE, as was the U.S. Army’s Far East Air Force (FEAF). At the time of USAFFE's formation, the unit consisted of 22,532 troops, of which 11,972 were Philippine Scouts. USAFFE (United States Army Forces - Far East) included the Philippine Department, Philippine Army (2 regular and 10 reserve divisions), and the Far East Air Force (formerly, Philippine Army Air Corps). ... The Asiatic Fleet was part of the US Navy. ... The Philippine Division was the core of the US Armys Philippine Department. ... The Philippine Department (Philippine Garrison -- The Battling Bastards of Bataan) was a regular US Army unit, defeated in the Philippines, during World War II. The mission of the Philippine Department was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army. ... USAFFE (United States Army Forces - Far East) included the Philippine Department, Philippine Army (2 regular and 10 reserve divisions), and the Far East Air Force (formerly, Philippine Army Air Corps). ... Far East Air Force (FEAF) is was formed from the Philippine Army Air Corps on August 4, 1941. ... USAFFE (United States Army Forces - Far East) included the Philippine Department, Philippine Army (2 regular and 10 reserve divisions), and the Far East Air Force (formerly, Philippine Army Air Corps). ...

Of the 22,532 troops, 10,473 were members of the Philippine Division, itself containing 2,552 Americans and 7,921 Filipinos. All of the division's enlisted men, with the exception of the 31st Infantry Regiment and some of the military police and headquarters troops, were Philippine Scouts. The 31st Infantry Regiment (31st INF) of the United States Army was formed on August 13, 1916, and was part of USAFFEs Philippine Division during World War II. The unit is rare in that it was formed, and spent most of its life, on non-American soil. ... It has been suggested that Gendarmerie be merged into this article or section. ...

Filipino Officers within the Philippine Division, July 1941

In 1910, the U.S. Army began sending one outstanding Filipino soldier per year to West Point. Two of them were Vicente Lim (USMA, Class of 1914) and Felipe V. Segundo (1917). By 1941 some of these men had risen to the rank of senior officers, and some had transferred to the Philippine Army when the Philippine Commonwealth began to build up its own forces in 1937. In July of 1941, there were fifteen Filipino Scout Officers within the Philippine Division. Two were in the Headquarters, two were amongst the Special Troops, three in the 45th Infantry Regiment (PS), one in the 57th Infantry Regiment (PS), five in the 24th Field Artillery Regiment (PS), one in the 12th Quartermaster Regiment (PS), and one in the 14th Engineer Regiment (PS). Brigadier General Vicente Lim (1889 - 1945) was a World War II general. ... The Commonwealth of the Philippines was the political designation of the Philippines from 1935 to 1946 when the country was a commonwealth of the United States. ... Year 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film). ... The Philippine Department (Philippine Garrison -- The Battling Bastards of Bataan) was a regular US Army unit, defeated in the Philippines, during World War II. The mission of the Philippine Department was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army. ... The 24th Philippine Scout Field Artillery Regiment (24th FA (PS)) was part of the US Armys Philippine Division, during World War II. History of the 24th Field Artillery Regiment The 24th FA was organized in 1922 at Philippines, from the 1st Philippine Artillery Regiment. ...

The Philippine Scouts in World War II

On December 7, 1941 Imperial Japanese forces sank the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, bombed the U.S. Army’s Far East Air Force at Clark Field in the Philippines, attacked British Hong Kong, and landed troops on the shores of British Malaya, simultaneously. Over the next three months the Japanese Army marched through Southeast Asia, and by March 1942 the Japanese had completely overrun every country and island in the western Pacific—except the Philippines. A number of countries currently have or previously had an Pacific Fleet in their navies. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Proper name for Clark Air Base, Republic of the Philippines, during 1919-1948 when it was under U.S. Army jurisdiction. ... After a series of Chinese defeats during the First Opium War (1839-1842) at the hands of Capt. ... British Malaya was a set of states that were colonized by the British from the 18th and the 19th until the 20th century. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

On the Bataan Peninsula of Luzon Island, the Philippine Scouts, a few U.S Army National Guard units, and ten divisions of poorly equipped, almost untrained Philippine Army soldiers held out against the Japanese. Survivors of the Battle of Bataan, to a man, describe the Philippine Scouts as the backbone of the American defense there. President Franklin Roosevelt awarded the U.S. Army’s first three Congressional Medals of Honor of World War II to Philippine Scouts: to Sergeant Jose Calugas for action at Culis, Bataan on January 6, 1942, to Lieutenant Alexander Nininger for action near Abucay, Bataan on January 12, and to Lieutenant Willibald Bianchi for action near Bagac, Bataan on February 3, 1942. Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. ... Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ... Military branches  Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps and Coast Guard), Air Force Military manpower - military age  18 years of age (2001) Military manpower - availability  males age 15-49: 22,435,982 (2004 est. ... Combatants United States and Philippines Japan Commanders Douglas MacArthur Jonathan Wainwright George M. Parker Edward P. King Masaharu Homma Susumu Morioka Kineo Kitajima Kameichiro Nagano Strength 30,000 U.S. troops 120,000 Filipino troops 75,000 Japanese troops Casualties 10,000 killed, 20,000 wounded, 75,000 prisoners 7... For the computer game, see Medal of Honor (computer game). ... Jose Calugas (December 29, 1907, Barrio Tagsing, Leon, Iloilo, Philippines. ...

In the midst of the Battle of Bataan, on 11 March 1942, President Roosevelt had General Douglas MacArthur spirited out of the Philippines by PT boat and airplane. With the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor in shambles, and the Japanese Navy blockading the Philippines, there was no way to send adequate amounts of food, medicine, ammunition or reinforcements to Bataan. Even early on in the campaign, in January 1942, because the Fil-American military's food-stocks were judged as insufficient for the planned six-month siege, General MacArthur ordered that his forces be fed one-half daily rations. Of course, such a diet did not provide enough calories for men working and fighting in the tropical heat of the Philippines' Dry season. Nonetheless, the Scouts and the other soldiers held out for more than four months without adequate food or medicine, while malaria, dysentery and malnutrition ravaged their ranks, and Japanese attacks drove them further down the Bataan Peninsula. Combatants United States and Philippines Japan Commanders Douglas MacArthur Jonathan Wainwright George M. Parker Edward P. King Masaharu Homma Susumu Morioka Kineo Kitajima Kameichiro Nagano Strength 30,000 U.S. troops 120,000 Filipino troops 75,000 Japanese troops Casualties 10,000 killed, 20,000 wounded, 75,000 prisoners 7... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only person to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 - April 5, 1964), was a famous American general who played a prominent role in the Pacific theater of World War II. He was poised to command the invasion of Japan in November 1945 but was instead instructed to accept their surrender on September 2, 1945. ... Satellite image of Pearl Harbor. ... Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. ...

Prisoners of War

The Battle of Bataan ended on April 9, 1942, when Major General Edward P. King, Jr., surrendered rather than see any more of his starving, diseased men slaughtered by the advancing enemy. At that point 70,000 men became Prisoners of War: about 16,000 Americans and 54,000 Filipinos. Almost all of the earliest American Prisoners of War in the Pacific theatre of World War II were the survivors of the Bataan campaign. Japanese soldiers marched the emaciated Scouts, Americans and Philippine Army men sixty-five miles up the Bataan Peninsula's East Road to the railroad head in San Fernando, Pampanga province. From there the POWs were forced into overcrowded "40 and 10" railroad cars, which had only enough room for them to sit down in shifts, on the final leg to Capas, Tarlac province, and Camp O'Donnell, a former Phillipine Army training camp, on the notorious "March of Death," the Bataan Death March. The Japanese guards shot or bayoneted between 7,000 and 10,000 men who fell, attempted to escape, or just stopped to quench their thirst at roadside spigots or puddles on the Death March. They also abused and sometimes killed Filipino civilians, who at times flashed the "V" for "Victory" hand-gesture to the defeated soldiers, that attempted to give food and water to the POWs along the length of the Death March. Combatants United States and Philippines Japan Commanders Douglas MacArthur Jonathan Wainwright George M. Parker Edward P. King Masaharu Homma Susumu Morioka Kineo Kitajima Kameichiro Nagano Strength 30,000 U.S. troops 120,000 Filipino troops 75,000 Japanese troops Casualties 10,000 killed, 20,000 wounded, 75,000 prisoners 7... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... The Bataan Death March (aka The Death March of Bataan) was a war crime involving the forcible transfer of prisoners of war, with wide-ranging abuse and high fatalities, by Japanese forces in the Philippines, in 1942, after the three-month Battle of Bataan, which was part of the Battle...

At the prison camp, Camp O’Donnell, the Japanese crammed all 60,000 survivors into a Philippine Army camp designed to accommodate 10,000 men. There, the Japanese commander greeted each new group of arrivals with the discouraging "Goddamn you to Hell" speech in his native language. There was little running water, sparse food, no medical care, and only slit trenches for sanitation. The heat was intolerable, flies covered the prisoner’s food, and malaria, dysentery, beriberi and a host of others diseases swept through the crowds of men. They began to die at the rate of four hundred per day.

From September through December 1942, the Japanese gradually paroled the surviving Filipino Scouts and other Filipino soldiers to their families and to the mayors of their hometowns. But by the time Camp O’Donnell closed in January 1943, after eight months of operation, 26,000 of the 50,000 Filipino Prisoners of War had died there. Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ...

The Japanese transferred the American prisoners to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija province, where conditions were only marginally better. But as U.S. forces pulled closer to the Philippines in 1944, they evacuated the healthiest American prisoners to Japan and Manchuria, for use as slave laborers. Thousands of men were crammed into the dark holds of cargo ships so tightly that they could not sit or lay down. Again, food and water were scarce, sanitary facilities were non-existent, and the heat in the closed holds of the ships was unbearable. Men suffocated to death standing up. The Japanese ships were unmarked and some of them were torpedoed by American submarines. More of the men died of malnutrition and exposure in the work camps. By the time Japan surrendered and the U.S. Army liberated the Bataan Prisoners of War, two-thirds of the American prisoners had died in Japanese custody. Cabanatuan City is a 1st class city in the province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines. ... Manchuria (Manchu: Manju; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲; Simplified Chinese: 满洲; pinyin: Mǎnzhōu, Russian: ) is a vast territorial region in northeast Asia. ...

Liberation and the “New” Scouts

As MacArthur’s forces, supported by Filipino guerrillas, who often included "paroled" Philippine Scouts along with former Philippine Commonwealth Army soldiers as well as some common criminals and assorted bandits, liberated the Philippine Islands, the surviving Philippine Scouts stepped forward and rejoined the U.S. Army. The Filipino guerrillas joined them, and the Army set up new Philippine Scout units, reconstituting the old Philippine Division as the 12th Infantry Division. Subordinate units included the 43rd, 44th and 45th Infantry Regiments (PS); 23rd, 24th and 88th Field Artillery (PS) Battalions; 56th Engineer Battalion (PS) and the 57th Infantry Regiment (PS). The “New Scouts” actively participated in combat against the Japanese Army in north Luzon, served as military police to restore order and help locate pockets of escaped Japanese in the south, and served as occupation forces on Okinawa. As planning for the invasion of Japan progressed, the Philippine Scouts were included in the invasion forces, and were selected to become part of the occupying force once Japan was defeated. Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... The Philippine islands is a commonly mistaken description for the Philippines. ... 12th Division may mean: British 12th (Eastern) Division 12th Division (North Korea) US 12th Armored Division Category: ... The 43rd Philippine Scout Infantry Regiment (43rd INF (PS)) was part of USAFFEs Philippine Division, during World War II. History of the 43rd Infantry Regiment The 43rd Infantry Regiment was formed in June of 1917, at Fort Douglas, Utah. ... Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ... It has been suggested that Gendarmerie be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the prefecture. ...

After the surrender of Japan in August 1945, the United States granted the Republic of the Philippines full independence on July 4, 1946. At that point the Filipino Scouts held a unique status in U.S. military history: they were soldiers in the regular U.S. Army, but now they were citizens of a foreign country. To solve this dilemma, the United States offered the Filipino Scouts full U.S. citizenship. Most of the surviving Scouts accepted, and the Army transferred them to other units to finish their military careers. Many of them went on to serve their new country in military careers of twenty and more years, campaigning in the Korean Conflict, the build-up to the planned invasion of Cuba in the October 1962 Missile Crisis, the Vietnam Conflict, and the Cold War. These Scouts sometimes begat US Army soldiers and US Marines, who, like their civilian siblings, were naturally steeped in their fathers' war-time experiences. Two Philippine Scouts children, a group that was collectively nicknamed "Army Soup" in the pre-WW II era, even earned the stars of US Army generals: Lt. General Edward G. Soriano and Major General Antonio M. Taguba. In 1946, President Truman disbanded the Philippine Scouts as an official element of the United States Army, and all of their unit colors were retired. United States citizenship is membership of the United States political system. ...

Bibliography

• Olson, Col. John (ed.) (2002). The Philippine Scouts. Daly City, CA: Philippine Scouts Heritage Society. 
• Olson, Col. John (1985). O’Donnell: Andersonville of the Pacific. San Antonio, Texas: privately printed. 
• Knox, Donald (1981). Death March: The Survivors of Bataan. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company. 
• Linn, Brian M. (1997). Guardians of Empire: The U.S. Army and the Pacific, 1902-1940. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina press. 

See also

• Military History of the Philippines
• Military History of the United States

// List of major battles Battle of Manila Battle of Bataan Battle of Mactan Battle of Corregidor Battle of Luzon Battle of Leyte Battle of Pulang Lupa Balangiga Massacre Small Wars Wars with local Islamic Extremists Wars with local Communist Insurgents Foreign Service International Force East Timor see INTERFET UN Transitional... The military history of the United States spans a period of less than two and a half centuries. ...

External link

• Philippine Scouts Heritage Society